Safety device for railway switch and signal apparatus.



- No. 814,537. PATENTED MAR. 6,1906.

L. GRIFFITH. v SAFETY DEVICE FOR RAILWAY SWITCH AND SIGNAL ABPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED $3293.20, 1905;

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N (Q m N Do I. 1% \Q f- I (1 f Inventor:

PATENTED MAR. 6, 1906.

H m I n P R G L SAFETY DEVICE FOR RAILWAY SWITCH AND SIGNAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.20. 1905.

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Nb. 814,537..-- PATENTED MAR. 6, 1906.

L. GRIFFITH.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR RAILWAY SWITCH AND SIGNAL APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED 531 1 20, 1905,

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Attst: In V I ItOI":

PATENT oEEIoE.

; LAWRENCE GRIFFITH, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK.

SAFETY DEVICE FORRAILWAY SWITCH AND SIGNAL APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 6. 1906.

Application filed September 20,1905. Serial No 279.332.

1'?) a, whom it may concern Be it known that I, LAwRENoE GRIFFITH,

a citizen of the United States of America, re siding in the city of Yonkers, county of Westchester, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Railway Switch and Signal Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Mymvention relates to railway switch and signal apparatus; and its objects are to provide safety devices for the same.

To these ends, my invention consists, broadly, of means whereby the apparatus or a part thereof may be locked at certain times.

Reference may be had to United States Letters Patent No. 724,180, granted to me I March 31, 1903; No. 776,238 granted to me November 29, 1904, and to my ending applications, Serial No. 151,578, fi ed April 8,

. 1903; Serial No. 230,360, filed October 28,

1904; Serial No. 231,514, filed November 5,

'1904, and Serial No. 231,515, filed November In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I shall first describe in detail the manner in which I carry the same into practice and then point out the novel features of the invention in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of the specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts in all the vows, of which- Figure 1. is a diagrammatic view of my invention as applied to an electrically-operated semaphore; Fig. 2, a similar view as applied to electrically-controlled pneumaticallyoperated switch-points, and Fig. 3 a similar view as applied to a pair of'electrically-operated switch-points or a crossover.

In Figs. 1 and 3 I have shown my inventionin combination with an operators strokecompleting bar, and in Fig. 2 in combination with an operators locking-quadrant.

Referring now to Fig. 1, 12 is the operators bar or lever in the tower, and 13 the semaphore-blade. The semaphore-blade is normally held at danger by the counterweight 14 and is turned to safety by the upward movement of the rod 15. Said'rod is'actuated by electric motor 16. As the motor need move the rod 15 in only one direction, a single-wound motor may be used.

It will be understood that suitable devices known to the art are employed for connecting the motor with rod 15. The operators bar 12 may have the ordinary tappet-slot 42,

which cooperates with a roller 43, attached to the tappet 44, working in the ordinary interlocking board. Another slot in the bar 12 has the inclined portion and the horizontal portion 46. In this slot is a roller 47, connected by rod 48 with the armature of indicating-solenoid 49 or other electric unit. Fastened to the frame which supports the bar 12 and insulated therefrom are four pairs of contact-springs, as follows: 50 and 51, 52 and 53, 54 and 55, 56 and 57. Fastened to and coperating'with the bar 12 is the rod 61. Bridge 63 is securely fastened to rod 61 and moves with it. Bridge 62 is loosely attached to rod 61 and is moved by the stops 64 and 65 coming in contact with it. .Motor 16 is operatively connected with rod 15, so as to raise said rod as said motor revolves.

Attached to and cooperating with said rod' 15 are two bridges 66 and 67, bridge 66 being adapted to make andbreak the circuit between the contact-springs 68 and 69 and bridge 67 being adapted to make and break the circuit between the contact-springs 70 and 71. It

will be understood that means well known to electric unit 49 be not allowed to act while there is current on the circuit of the motor 16. To this end the safety-magnet or electric unit 60 is connected inparallel with the circuit of motor 16 by wires 17 and 18, and it will be understood that the circuit through said safety-magnet is made and broken by bridge 63, cooperating with contact-springs 52 and 53, so that when current is supplied to motor 16 by wire 2 current will also be supplied to safety-magnet 60, energizing the same and raising its armature, and with it rod 92, which rod 92 006 crates with notch 93 on bar 12, so as to lock the'same against the action of solenoid or indicating-magnet 49. In other words, the indicator 49 is mepositive common wire 1 connects with contact spring 52. From contact-spring 53, which is the mate of 52, wire 2 leads to motor 16 and thence by wire 3, contact-springs 69 and 68, bridge 66, and wire 4 back to battery. It therefore will be understood that when bridge 63 is moved into contact with springs 52 and 53 (bridge 62 being at the same time moved by stop 64 into contact with springs 50 and 51) safety-magnet or electric unit 60 will be energized, and motor 16 will also be energized to move rod upward, and therefore the semaphore -blade 13, to safety. At the same time bridge 67 will be moved from between contact-springs 70 and 71 and bridge 66 from between contact-springs 68 and 69. At this time roller 47 has been moved to the right-hand end of the horizontal portion 46 of the slot 45 46. In turning the semaphore-blade 13 to danger position the operator 'moves bar 12 until the roller 47 meets the other end of the horizontal portion of the slot 45 46, and by doing so releases the semaphore-blade 13 and allows its counterweight 14 to carry same to danger and make connection by bridge 67 between contact-springs 70 and 71 and by bridge 66 between contact-springs 68 and 69. At the same time bridge 63 is removed from between contact-springs 52 and 53, thus deener izing safet -magnet or electric unit 60, and by said bricfge 63 connection is made between contact-springs 54 and 55. In this position of the parts the solenoid or magnet 49 is energized from the battery or source of electric energy 72 by wire 5, contact -spr ing 5'5, bridge 63, contact-spring 54, wire 6, contact-sprmg50, bridge 62, contact-spring 51, wire 7 solenoid 49, wire 8, contact-spring 70, bridge 67, contact-spring 71, wire 9, and wire 4 back to thebattery. Thereby the armature of the magnet or solenoid 49 is attracted and the rod '48 raised, carrying with it roller 47, which, co6perating with the inclined part 45 of the slot 45 46, moves the bar 12'back to its normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, and breaking the connection between contactsprings 50 and 51 as the stop 65 moves the bridge 62 out of position between said contact-springs. The action of the electric unit '49 is of course an indication to the operator that the semaphore-blade has been returned to "danger,

Referring now to Fig. 2, I have shown my invention applied to electropneumaticallyoperated'switch-points and the rod 61 of the electric switch in the operators tower connected with a locking-quadrant 12 instead of -stroke-completing bar 12. Reference may be had to my above-mentioned Patent No. 724,180 and my above-mentioned application Serial No. 231, 514, the valvesX and Y being controlled in this case by electric relays or magnets X and Yinstead of bypneumatic diaphragms. Motion-plate A is operated by piston. 5 of pneumatic motor W in the usual way. Pipe 7 supplies power from valve X to operate piston 5 in one direction, and pipe 6 from valve Y to operate said piston in the other direction. Said valves and Y are counterparts of each other, each having three ports. Ports 8 lead to the supply of compressed air or other fluid under pressure. Ports 10 lead to the atmosphere or exhaust. Ports 9 lead to opposite sides of piston 5 of motor IN. The valves X and Y are provided with pistons 11, adapted normally to close supply-ports 8 and open exhaust-ports 10 Cooperating with said pistons 11. are relays X and Y, so that when said relays are energized pistons 1.1 will close exhaust-ports 10 and open supply-ports 8*. Upon movement of the operators quadrant 12 bridge 19 will be brought into contact with contact springs 20 and 21, and valve X will be opened to admit compressed air by pipe 7 to motor W, as follows: wire 1 safety-magnet 60, wire 18*, contact-springs 21 and 20, bridge 19, wire 2, contact-springs 22 and 23, bridge 24, wire 25, relay X, wire 26 to battery, so that the armature of relay X will be raised, and by energy supplied through valve X and pipe 7 piston 5 Will be moved and will carry with it motion-plate A and switch or controller M, thereby breaking connection between contact-springs 22 and 23 and making connection between contact-springs 27 and 28 by bridge 29 and breaking contact between springs 30 and 31 by bridge 32 and making contact between springs 33 and 34 by bridge 32. In this position roller 47 will abut against shoulder 35 of the slot in quadrant 12, and said roller 47 will be raised by the action of indicating-solenoid 49 which is energized as follows: wires 1 and 36, solenoid 49, wire 37, contact-springs 38 and 39, bridge 40, wire 41, contact-springs 33 and 34, bridge 32, wire 98 to battery. It will be understood that stops 64* and 65 operate to move bridge 40 during a portion only of the stroke of rod 61", which rod is mechanically connected with quadrant 12 and moves with it, carrying bridge 19. Said safety-magnet 60 is also connected in series with the circuit of relays X and Y by wires 44 and 45*, which said wires are connected with windings of said safetyanagnet of greater resistance than the windings of said magnet connected with wires 1. and 18", the two windings of said magnet 60' being in parallel with each other and in series with either of the relays X or Y, so that should fuse P be blown out by an abnormally large current through wires 1" and 13 the magnet 60 would still operate to attract its armature and raise the rod 92 by the action of the windings connected with the wire 44 and 45. Said rod 92 coiiper ates with notch 93 on rod 61 so as to lock the same, even though the indicating-solenoid 49 has released the quadrant 12*. In

-siding-rails E B.

other words, while energy is supplied to either relay X or Y the operators quadrant 12 is mechanically locked.

Referring now to Fig. 3, I have shown my invention applied to a crossover or a pair of switch-points and the mechanical lock ap plied directly to the operative means of the indicator. Referring to said Fig. 3, A A are the main rails and B B the siding, C O the switch points operatively connected With the mainrails A A and D D the switch-points operatively connected with the o is a motion-plate for operating the switch-points C C in the usual manner, and (l a motion-plate for operating switch points D D Upon movement of the operators bar or lever 12 until roller 47 meets the right-hand abutment of horizontal portion 32 of slot 33 32 34 bridge 35 will be moved into contact tween contact-springs 36 and 37 and motion-plate 0 will be moved to operate switchpoints C C as follows: wire 1", magnet 60*, wire 2*, contact-springs 36 and 37 bridge 35, wire 3", contact-springs 39 and 40 bridge 41, wire 4, field 5 of motor IQ and therethrough by wire 6 to battery. Motor X being thereby energized, switch or controller M will be moved in corres ondence with motion-plate c so as to brea connection upon the final movement of the motor betweencontact-springs 39 and 40 connection having been made between c0n-,

tact-springs 42 and 43 by bridge 44 and connection broken between contact-springs 45 and 46 by bridge 107 and connection made between contact-springs 108 and 49* by bridge 50 At thesame time contact will be made by bridge 107 between contactsprin s 51 and 52 and contact will have been roken between contact-springs53 and 54 The switch-points O C and motionplate c having been moved to their fullest extent, motor X has been cut out of circuit by bridge 41 moving from between contact springs 40 and 39 and the energy from the battery or other source of electric energy 72 now energizes motor Y as follows: wire 1*, magnet 60', wire 2 contact-springs 36 and 37 bridge 35", wire 3*, contact-springs 51 v 52* and bridge 107, wire 7", contact-s rings contact-springs 58 55 and 56 bridge 57", motor Y and thus that motor Y tion-plate d by wire 6 to battery, so will be energized to move mowith its switch-points D -D "and with the switch or controller N so as to break connection between contact-springs 55 and 56 and make connection between and 59 by bridge'60 and at the same time break connection beg and 62 by bridge 63 and make connection between contactsprings 64' and 66 by said bridge 63*. Ener y from the source '72 will now energize so enoid or electric unit 49*, as follows: wires series or a to a return to battery by metallic circuit as I 1 and 9 solenoid 49", wire 102, contactsprings 68 and 69 and bridge 70 wire ld contact-springs 66 and 6 1*, bridge 63 wire 14, contact-springs 108 and 49 br1dge5 0 and wire 6 to battery. Solenoid 49 being thus energized its armature will operate roller 47 in inclined portion 34 of slot 33 32 34 and thereby break coniiectioi1 be tween contact-springs 68 and 69* by bridge 70 and make connection by bridge 70 between coiitact-springs 71 and 72". It will of course be understood that stops 73 and 74 operate to move said bridge 70 during a portion only of. the stroke of rod 61 in the same manner as bridges 62 and 40 of Figs. 1

and 2, respectively, are moved by their respective stops. Said safety-magnet 60 is connected in series with the circuits of the fields of the motors X and Y in the same manner as the safety-magnet 6O of Fig. 2 is connected with the relays'X and Y, therein shown; but in this case, Fig. 3, the safetymagnet 60 is adapted to act directly upon the moving part 92 of the solenoid 49 instead of upon the operators bar or quadrant. To this end a notch 93 is made in the bar 92, with which the bar 48 cooperates to lock the action of the solenoid 49 50? is a spring to hold the armature of safety-magnet 60 in normal osition.

It wili be understood that the main feature of my invention is a mechanical means for locking the apparatus against the action of the indicatorin cases where a stroke-com pleting baris used, or against the operator when a locking-quadrant is used. Of course it will be understood that in the case of a stroke -'completing bar indication is the final movement of the bar, and in the case of a quadrant indication is the unlocking of the same.

Of course I do not limit myself to either a parallel electrical connection, nor

distinguished from grounding.

- What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a paratus for operating switches, signals an the like, comprising an electric indicator and an electrically-operated motion plate or device to be moved, means for preventing the action of-the indicator while there is electric energy supplied to the operative means of said motion-plate, which con sists of a mechanical lock for said indicator, operated by electric means separate from said indicator.

2. In electric apparatus for operating switches, signals and the like, comprising an electric indicator and an electrically -operated motion plate or device to be moved, means for'preventing the action of the indicator While there is electric energy sup lied to the operativemeans of said motion-p ate, which consists of a mechanical lock for said indicator, operated by electric means sepa rate from said indicator. 4

3. In apparatus for operating switches, signals and the like, comprising an electric indicator and a plurality of electrically-operated motion plates or devices to be moved, means for preventing the action of the indicator while there is electric energy supplied to the operative means of any of said motionplates, which consists of-a mechanical lock for said indicator, operated by electric means separate from said indicator.

4. In electric apparatus for operating switches, signals and the like, comprising an electric indicator and an electrically controlled motion plate or device to be moved, means for locking the ap aratus against the indicator or operator w ile there is energy supplied to the controlling means of the motionlate, which consists of a mechanical lock or said-ap aratus operated by electric means separ'ate om said indicator.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of September, 1904.

LAWRENCE GRIFFITH. In presence of FRANCIS C. FIELD, H. V. N. PHILIP. 

